MOSCOW, October 9 Termination of the grain deal will not have any impact on the food security of developing countries it did, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
““The termination of the Black Sea initiative due to the fact that the Russian part was not implemented at all had no impact on the food security of developing countries,” he said during a press conference following negotiations with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Abu al-Ghaith.
According to him, all Russian partners are “not at a loss”; all plans for the supply of Russian fertilizers and grain are being implemented and will be completed on time.
The grain deal ceased on July 18, the Russian Federation notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN of its objection to its extension. This meant the withdrawal of Russian guarantees for the safety of navigation and the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor in the northwestern waters of the Black Sea. Temporarily dangerous conditions for navigation have been restored for this area.
The deal itself, which provided for the safe export of Ukrainian grain and food, as well as fertilizers across the Black Sea from three ports (Chernomorsk, Yuzhny, Odessa) was valid for almost a year : it was signed on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul and was an integral part of the Istanbul package agreement signed by representatives of the Russian Federation, the UN, Ukraine and Turkey.
The second part — the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years — provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers. The extension of the “grain deal” was interconnected with the implementation of the memorandum, which, as the Russian authorities stated, never worked.